Mississippi bill would provide private school funding for special education students

Parents could get $6,000 yearly for private schools

JACKSON, Miss. — Parents of special education students encouraged state legislators Tuesday to approve legislation to give them $6,000 a year to withdraw their children from public schools, where they say the students often are shortchanged, and enroll them in private schools.

Advocates of the legislation, which the Senate and House narrowly approved two weeks ago in different versions, packed a tiny hearing room to express their views to a joint meeting of the Senate and House education committees.

"I'm a great supporter of public education, but our public education system in failing our system," said Mary Troupe of Jackson, director of Just Advocacy of Mississippi.

Troupe said her 15-year-old grandson attends private school because his needs were not being met in public school.

She said a special-education teacher taped a student's hands to his wheelchair because the teacher didn't like the way the child acted during seizures.

"These students need to be addressed. They don't need to be ‘dealt with,'" Troupe said.

The House and Senate bills would allow Individual Education Funds, or IEFs, for children whose parents want to send to private schools most attuned to their special needs.

State Sen. Nancy Collins, R-Tupelo, said the legislation would authorize $6,000 a year to pay for tuition, transportation, books and other materials for the children to attend private schools.

According to the legislation, federal law would limit the number of students to 2,500. Should more than 2,500 people apply, a lottery would be held.

A likely compromise would limit the number of students at 500.

About 64,000 children attend special education classes in Mississippi's public schools.

Several parents talked about how their special needs children were ignored by teachers and administrators.

Mandy Rogers of Ridgeland, a mother of two autistic children who are now grown, said it once took her five months to get her children's records from their school.

Once she got it, the children's physician changed their medication, and they performed better in school.

Advocate Donna Brewer, whose daughter has Down syndrome, said he removed her child from public school in the 10th grade because of the limited opportunities.

"I want for my child the same thing all of you in this room want for yours — independence and a job," she said.